Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

Be warned there will be so many 'post-wedding' posts up here for a while. I originally created this blog as my own online diary. A place where I could record my life, so that in years to come I could look back and read about what I was getting up to, and a major part of this life is our wedding. I want to remember every little detail, as I know that there is so much that I will forget. So bare with me for a while, while I get back into my usual routine. 

One of my greatest fears is forgetfulness. So to prevent myself from forgetting one of the most important bits of my day, heres my something old, my something new, my something borrowed and my something blue. 

Something Old,

My Mum gave me this bracelet last year as a little heirloom. Something that I could pass down to my children one day. I chose to wear it on my wedding day as my something old, as it's even older than me. 

Something New, 

My earring. I have an ear stretch in one ear, so only needed one earring. This was the newest item, as I lost the one I was originally going to wear, so had to pick this one up the day before the wedding. I loved it on the day though. I know most people use their dress for their something new, but there are so many new items needed for a wedding that it didn't really matter which item I picked. 

Something Borrowed, 

I borrowed a pair of socks from my Dad. haha. Obviously I needed socks as I was wearing converse, and what better socks to borrow than my Dad's? Though technically I can't fully say that yet as I haven't given them back, but don't worry he will have them back very soon. (I haven't put up a picture as I'm sure it's not something you want to see)

Something Blue, 

My nails. I wanted blue nails for quite a while. I chose Button Moon, by Collection 2000, which is more of a duck egg blue. The best choice for a wedding in my opinion. As you can tell I don't like doing anything normal. haha. This was a nightmare though, as I forgot to take my bottle to my Mum's, so we had to head into Boots the morning of my wedding just to pick up a new one. Then I found it in my make-up bag! Typical. 

Even Mike had his something old, new, borrowed, and blue, (not that men do this, but ahh well anything to be unusual.) His borrowed and old was a tie. It was originally my Dad's tie (old) which I stole off him years ago when Mike and I first met, which Mike then 'borrowed' from me. His Converse were blue. And finally his new was his suit, shirt, or belt... take your pick. haha.

As I'm typing this I'm looking around our living room admiring all our cards and gifts. It makes me so happy. I'm also getting giddy thinking about picking up our wedding pictures. 

Speak Soon, 

Katie 

x

Wedding: Cupcakes

The cupcakes I made for our wedding went down a treat. Everyone loved them. And I must admit so did I. I made them on the Friday night before our wedding day as I wanted them to be as fresh as possible, and so that the sponge was still moist. I planned on making my own cupcakes from the day we set the date for our wedding and I'm so glad that I did. The little flags in each cake were also handmade by the now husband. I told him what to do, and he made them perfectly. I am such a proud wife. 

Most people were in utter shock to find out that they were homemade, and my Nanna even wants to learn how to make them! Now this came as a complete shock to me, as it will do to you when you see the cake she made for our wedding day...

This fabulous creation was made by our 88 year old Nanna. I always wanted her to make my wedding cake, but never thought that she would be able to. I loved it. Unfortunately I don't like fruit cake, or I'd be wolfing it down. (though she did give me a bag of icing from it that I can munch on... shhhh!)

Overall the cupcakes did take four hours to make, but I loved every second of it, and wouldn't change it for the world. I think that even if I had more money than sense I still would have made my own. The whole process relaxed me, which is just what I needed the night before the wedding, it also kept me busy so I didn't think about the day ahead. 

The tricky part was transporting the cakes from our house, a 25 minute drive down the road to my parents house. haha. We had the best man in the back seat guarding two trays full of cakes spread out across the back, while holding two more, and a cake stand with more cakes between his knees. I was in the front seat with my Nanna's cake and more cupcakes balanced on top, and finally Mike driving as carefully as possible. But don't worry he didn't have any balanced on his head, though I would be surprised if he did. haha.


I've now been asked to bake some cupcakes for the Vicar's Birthday, and for me this is an honour. It'll be my way of thanking her for marrying us, and holding such a beautiful ceremony. I'd love to start my own mini business from baking, but for now baking for the Vicar's Birthday is more than enough. 

As you can tell we held our wedding reception at my parents home, and we loved every second of it. There are even people who didn't go to our wedding that are still talking about our day now. As each day goes by we hear from someone else how much they enjoyed it. 

There's definitely more to come,

Speak Soon,

Katie 

x

Wedding: Wedding Favours

This whole wedding planning and organising is extremely tiring. We've been up since 9:30am and have been non-stop crafting. I have enjoyed it, but right now I can feel my eye lids getting heavier, and we've still got tons more to do. It's amazing once I finish a task, because the more I finish the more I can see all my ideas coming together. It is rather satisfying. 

I probably won't be posting much this weekend for obvious reasons, though I would love to, so I'll leave you with this post, and also leave you all with the 'carrot' of my wedding photos. (If you didn't get that reference - carrot on a stick + donkey... though that sounds like I refer to you all as donkeys, so on second thoughts that's probably not the best example.) 

My wedding favours - For my wedding we planned right from the word go on having a BBQ, plus I have been a ketchup lover for many, many, many years, so what better wedding favour than personalised ketchup bottles? 

Originally I scoured the internet for genuine ones, but unfortunately heinz only personalise their products in America and don't ship to the UK, so the only option was to create my own. And here we have it. 

 I used photo sticker paper, which is fantastic. It was so easy to do, though creating the perfect size proved to be a bit of a nightmare. 

The finished product. I love them so much. The large bottles are for the couples, and the small ones are for the singles. We've still got a few more to do, but a trip to Asda is needed as we ate some. haha.

Fingers crossed I'll be able to post a bit more before the big day, if not I will see you all very soon as Mrs Cahill. 

Speak Soon, 

Katie 

x

P.S I went for my hair trial yesterday, and it looked beautiful. Though she did burn my nose with the curling tongs, so I'm hoping that Rudolph will be in fashion by Saturday. haha.

Wedding Shoes: Converse

The day finally arrived where I picked out my wedding shoes. Sunday 8th May 2011 I purchased my first pair of Converse low tops. It's a day to remember. In the end I decided to go with the classic dark blue. Michael has the high tops in this colour for our wedding day so we will also match. Aw how sweet?!

 I just need to alter the laces and I'm done. Am I the only one who hates criss cross laces? Why do they lace the shoes this way in shoe shops? Hmmm? I'm going to be one of the comfiest brides. 

I was an utter fool and originally put these on the coffee table to photograph, the usual place to take my blog pictures, when I heard my Mum's words echo through my mind, "Never put new shoes on the table."

I have no idea where this superstition originated but I gasped when I realised what I had done. I immediately deleted all the pictures taken which ultimately deletes all back luck I could have received from this act, or so I like to believe. So please wish me luck to also eliminate all future bad luck before our wedding day. Thank you. 

Speak Soon,

Katie 

x

Wedding: Finally Finished Invites

Blurred on purpose

So with just a week to go before the wedding tomorrow I will hand out our wedding invites. I know, I know. Most people look at me in utter shock when I say that to them, but it's not as though I'm having a huge wedding where hundreds of people need to be informed. There will roughly be about 25 - 30 guests attending our wedding, but to be honest if the only people that were there were Me, Mike, my parents, and my Nanna, we'd both be happy, as these are the people that mean the most to us. We're lucky then as these are the people we know that will definitely be attending, even without an official invite. 

I keep making myself believe that Mike and I are on an episode of BBC THREE's Don't tell the Bride without the massive budget, where they only get 2 weeks to plan the wedding, as their guest generally get their invites the day before the wedding. haha. So I'm doing quite well then. 

We'll all keep our fingers crossed that people actually show up to our wedding and it's not too short notice. I'm sure I'd have all my lovely followers as guest if all else fails. haha. 

Katie 

x

Wedding: Photograph List

When we visited our Wedding Photographer last week they obviously asked us what style of pictures we wanted. Now I'm really that much of a traditional girl when it comes to photos. I'm not a huge fan of the standard motionless poses pictures of the family. Don't get me wrong I still want some of these but a small proportion. For me I want the emotions from the day captured. Kind of like surprise pictures. And in Michael and I's photo session after the ceremony I'm not sure how to describe what I'd like, so instead I'll steal a few pictures from google to show you the style I like. 

There are so many beautiful images out there that this is the smallest of selections but it kind of gives you a rough idea of what I'm after. I love wedding photography where props are used, as I feel it can bring out the couple's personality more than usual. 

I love these three. Doesn't that bride look spectacular! She is so beautiful! There's also a picture of her walking down the aisle with her new husband, and words cannot describe how beautiful and happy she looks. 

While we were talking with our photographer I mentioned compiling a list with all my must have shots, so I didn't miss something I really wanted to remember. Plus there's also a few pictures my Mum would like that slightly mimic her own wedding, which I can't wait to give to her. So I thought today was that day why I got my but in gear and made out my list.

The List - Wedding Photograph Must Haves!

Before

♥ wedding dress hanging up/laying over chair

♥ buttoning up wedding dress

♥ the bridal bouquet 

♥ bride getting into the wedding transportation (because I'm not sure what it will be yet)

♥ bride and parents leaving for ceremony 

Church

♥ the church 

♥ guests arriving/walking into the church

♥ parents arriving/walking into the church 

♥ lots and lots of my Nanna

♥ Bride and Dad getting out of car 

♥ Bride and Dad stood near Church Gates (for Mum)

♥ Bride and Dad entering the church 

♥ Bride just before walking down the aisle 

♥ Bride walking down the aisle Front/Back

♥ Groom with best man 

♥ Groom waiting for Bride 

♥ Vicar 

♥ Groom seeing bride for the first time 

♥ Bride and Groom saying vows 

♥ Exchanging of rings 

♥ Hands 

♥ The kiss 

♥ Bride and Groom walking up aisle married :D

♥ Signing of the marriage licence, both bride and groom 

♥ Confetti being thrown over married couple 

♥ Bride and Groom getting in the car

♥ Bride and Groom in the back seat

After (formal)

♥ Bride alone 

♥ Bride with parents 

♥ Bride and Groom together 

♥ Bride and Groom with Parents

♥ Bride and Groom with Nanna 

♥ Bride with Nanna 

♥ Groom and Best Man

♥ Bride and Groom alone (lots off)

♥ Bride, Groom and Millie

Reception 

♥ Bride and Groom arriving 

♥ Venue 

♥ Wedding Cupcakes/Wedding Cake 

♥ Cutting the cake 

♥ Handing Bouquet to Nanna, instead of throwing it

♥ Bride and Groom Leaving 

Along with these I'd like lots and lots of random pictures of us and all the guests. I cannot wait. The only down side is that it could take a few weeks to get the pictures back, though I may be cheeky and ask for a few unedited pictures of Michael and I soon after or on the day so I can have something physical to hold on to until my pictures arrive. 

Now I just need to print this off and hand it to our photographer. I'm sure that they will already take all these pictures, but it's a just in case. 

The next thing I need to sort out is our playlist. We already know that we want our music taste playing, rather than the traditional wedding reception music. We're not having a DJ or anything similar so we're using our laptop as the sound system, which means we can have any music we'd like. So expect to see this post sometime this week. 

Katie

x

Homemade: Wedding Mobile/Signs

Oh look another wedding post. Though it is to be expected with our wedding less than 2 weeks away, so bare with me, and get excited that these posts are almost over, or get increasingly more excited as 14th May gets closer. 

Another creation with the salt dough. I'm really enjoying using salt dough. So far all my creations are pretty basic, but I'm planning on making some miniature and more intricate designs soon. My most recent designs are these mobile/signs. I'm not really sure what to call them yet. Any ideas? I've still got a friendship one left to make, and maybe more if I think of any. 

Katie

x

Wedding: DIY Hair clips

I decided a long time ago that when I got married I wanted long hair. A few years ago I decided that now was the time to grow it. Never in my life have I had long hair, it's always been so short as my hair just looked awful once it got past a certain length. For some reason all that has changed. I don't know if it's because I take much greater care with it, or that it's just the way it goes. Either way I'm so happy with it. I'm still growing it, but I'm happy with the length in regards to my wedding day. 

Because of the length of my hair I always wanted it down for my wedding day. Why spend years growing it just to have an up do? 

I decided upon half up/half down, for no other reason than that is what I've wanted. I've never really looked into any other hair styles, this is just the one that stuck. 

Then came the issue of what to hold my hair back with on my big day? I originally bought a clip with more of a diamante design to it, then I thought that this may clash with the faux pearl head band I want to wear (which I'm yet to buy, tomorrow I promise.) Then in boots the other day I came across these beauties. 

The only problem is the pink. The earring I'm wearing which is my something old, is a white rose  broken earring that my Mum's had for years. Do you get extra points for having a 'something broken' as well as the compulsory old, new, borrowed blue? As you can tell the roses on the clip are pink. 

So out comes the trusty white Barry M Nail Paint:

And tad-dar two coats later I have white not pink roses. 

My camera clearly doesn't like them as much as I do, they look amazing in real life

It still needs another coat as I can still see a slight tinge of pink, but I'm just too impatient to wait to take a picture once it's complete. haha. 

Katie

x

♫ Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work 

Homemade: Budget Wedding Flower Arrangements

In my last post I wrote about all my Ikea purchases. Well I then had a play around with some ideas for our Wedding flower arrangements, and I think I’ve decided on the following, which I will have dotted around the wedding reception venue (my parents house.)

1. This first idea I had had in mind for months. Is it wrong to admit that the inspiration for this came from my own living room? I hope not.

I just love the simplicity of this arrangement, and how the stems bend so easily so that the followers can be arranged perfectly.

2. I love these also. The jars originally came with lids, which whist still in Ikea I checked that they could be removed, which they can very easily.

3. And finally these lovely glass vases were just so cute. I’m not sure which I prefer more, the flower wrapped around the outside or wrapped around the inside.

The prices for all these were fantastic. Each flower was only 39p, so in total £19.11 for the job lot. Less than £20 is just fantastic for the quality and versatility of the flower. 

The glass jars were £1.01 each, so I picked up 6, which I can use again and again and again. For what, I’m not sure yet, but I will find out soon.  These I think would look so cute as a centerpiece in a larger, more traditional venue.

The glass vases were £1.83 each.

And the mini cute vases (as I like to call them) were also only £1.83. I think these are my favourites.

In total all are flower arrangements for our budget wedding came to a grand total of £32.49 if my calculations are correct (knowing me they aren't. What a complete bargain, and I didn’t compromise on quality. I’m rather chuffed with myself. 

Speak Soon, 

Katie 

x

Wedding: Ikea buys

I mentioned in yesterdays post that we made a trip to Ikea. We’d been planning to go for weeks to pick up a few items for our wedding, and finally made the time two Saturdays before the wedding day.

The flowers that I have picked for my bouquet and the buttonholes are gerberas, or as I like to call them, gerbils, and I knew from previous purchases that IKEA sold artificial ones for less that 50p each, with bendy stems.  So a trip to Ikea was an obvious choice.

We also picked up a few jars and vases for the flowers to be arranged in, along with a few candles to scatter around to create the perfect atmosphere on the day.

In Ikea I did think, ‘what am I going to do with all these flowers once the wedding is over?’ I knew I wanted to keep a few as I already have one set in the living room and a few more scattered around the house would look great, but I had just bought over 40. The as I was taking all the tags off each individual flower (which took forever) I placed them all in one plant pot to keep organized… and I loved it.

So there we have it, all of the flowers for our wedding day and a lovely center piece for our coffee table once the wedding day is over. Dual purpose items rule.

 I love Ikea, and I'm so glad that all my ideas are finally coming together. 

Speak Soon, 

Katie

x

Quick OOTD plus IKEA temptations

Just a very quick outfit of the day post. After Mike finished work we headed off to Ikea to pick up a few bits for our wedding. We had to make it there and back ready for our appointment with our wedding photographers at 8:30pm. 

♥ For some reason I look slightly uncomfortable here, but believe me I wasn't. 

♥ I curled my hair with my conical wand, which I am now in love with. I hated it when I first bought it, but now I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. 

♥ I love these jeans from Primark, they are so comfortable, though I've got to do a bit of DIY on the button as I'm not too keen on the purple. 

♥ It was a little chilly out today, but not enough to wear a coat, so instead I opted for this jumper for Matalan. I'm sure it was only £4 in the sale. Bargain! 

♥ ♥ We managed to pick up all we wanted from Ikea, plus a few extras that we didn't plan on buying. Which is to be expected. I love ikea so much and I'm sure I could happily live there. 

I'll just leave you with this picture to ponder over and to just imagine whats inside. haha. The full post will be up sometime soon. 

♥ ♥ Tomorrow we're off to our very first car boot which is so exciting, but slightly nerve racking.  My plan is not to sleep tonight though for fear that I don't wake up. We've got to be there for 5:30am to set up our stall, so a very early start to the day. 

♥ ♥ And in regards to our Wedding Photographers. We have finally chosen them. I am completely in love with their pictures and they are the nicest couple you could ever meet so it's just a plus all round. It now means I'm a lot less nervous for our Wedding day as I think I will feel very comfortable in front of the camera with such lovely people behind it... if that makes sense. 

Hope you've all had a lovely day.

Speak Soon, 

Katie 

x

Homemade: Just Married Garland

I've been after a 'Just Married' garland/sign ever since I came across the one I posted here. This one was far too expensive for what it was, and I was determined to create my own. And last night I finally finished it.

It's probably well known from my previous posts that we are planning our wedding on a shoe string budget, so a lot of homemade decorations are a must. Though I should admit that even if money was no object I probably would have still have made a lot myself. I just think weddings are more personal and fun that way.

I have so many more fun little creations to add here, so expect to see more, seen as our wedding is less than three weeks away. All day today I have had sudden and unexpected waves of butterflies that shudder all the way through my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. It's such a strange sensation, but I guess it means I'm finally getting nervous when I think of our Big Day... there they go again. 

Speak Soon,

Katie

x

Homemade: Wedding Invitations

As I sit/lay here making good friends with my hot water bottle, I thought that I'd post my wedding invites. I still have more to make, which have all been baked and just need sanding and painting.

I've been pretty determined to make our wedding 'us.' At first when we started planning, the details I chose were the standard items, which were not necessarily me, but more of the norm. 


For example, the first invites I made were pretty traditional. They were nice, but I became frustrated with them because I didn't actually like them. It them took me a good few months to come up with the idea of using salt dough. It was like a light bulb moment, and from that point there was no going back. They are relatively easy to make, just be warned that they can be rather temperamental, and can rise unexpectedly. The way I found to help with this was to turn the heat down and bake for longer. And to mask the awful baking smell... I used a Yankee Candle which worked a treat.


Heres how to make them. Of course you don't have to make wedding invites, they can make supper pretty decorations. I have made them in a few sizes for wedding decorations, so be creative, and you never know what you might come up with.

Salt Dough

2 cups plain flour

1 cup of salt

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of oil

This was the first time I had worked with cups for measurements rather than weight, and it turned out to be so easy. I bought simple red ones from Asda a while back, so it was also nice to finally put them to use. I'm still on the look out for some heart shaped ones though. 

Step one - Preheat oven to roughly 120°C then mix all the ingredients together. 

Start by mixing the salt and plain flour. Once mixed add the oil, then gradually add the water until you have a clay like consistency. Don't be afraid you get your hands dirty... it's actually more fun that way.

Step two - Next you want to roll out your dough. If you don't have a rolling pin, a wine bottle or a hairspray can works just as well. Just use your imagination. You want to make your hearts roughly 5mm thick, though trial and error, these worked out to be the best size. (always make sure to add flour to the counter to prevent the dough from sticking - this can turn into a nightmare without it)

Step three - Cut out your hearts. 

Step four - Place your hearts onto a floured baking tray ready to bake. Don't forget to make your holes before baking, so you can hang them later. You then want to bake them for at least an hour, or until these dough is hard with no soft spots. Mine took two hours in the oven each time. 

Step five - Once ready take them out of the oven and let them cool.

Step six - Sand all the edges, and top if necessary depending on how you want your hearts to look.

Preferably outside in the sun while listening to you favourite music

The top part of one of my batches did rise, so to save them I cut off all the bubbled parts, and sanded away to create a smooth finish. Now they just look like it was my desired effect. 

Now you are ready to paint.

Step seven - Paint and add text.

I chose white, but this may change as I've noticed that the paint has started to crack slightly (I'm a perfectionist when it comes to things like this.) I did make a batch for other decorations which I painted gold, and these have turned out perfectly. 

Step eight - Add a coat of varnish to keep your work looking amazing and fresh for years to come. 

Ignore the messy table - I like to keep things natural

Mine look slightly blurred in parts, but that's only where I've edited out our wedding reception venue. This is because ours is being held at my parents house, so it's not really fare to share their address with the world. 

Finally add a ribbon or some string to hang your decoration... and you're done. 

I also chose to add each guests name on the back of each invitation, and I will also add a little poem to each heart tied with a bow for that personal effect.

I can't wait to show you my other salt dough creations, so watch out for those.

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Speak Soon,

Katie 

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